Saturday, March 05, 2011

I got an email this week from Beachbody Coach Doug who wants to reclaim his health and fitness - but he's having trouble getting and staying motivated and he asked for my advice. Well, that's what this is about!

I'm no expert, but I'm happy to offer my two cents' worth and address his questions and share what worked for me in hopes that it can help him and others.

Doug and his wife are about to celebrate their 7-year wedding anniversary and they have a beautiful new baby girl. Doug and his wife are both in need of a fitness overhaul and he does not want his baby girl to grow up the same way.

He isn't really sure why he signed up to be a Coach, but he knows he wants to make a change. In fact, he signed up to run a half marathon in November and he just started P90X and he's drinking Shakeology! (I find that hugely inspirational. A half-marathon?!?! That's amazing!)

Like all of us, Doug has had some ups and downs, some false starts and some lack of consistency. But he knows he needs to make a change, and that is the first step on the path. Here are some of his questions:

Q: How do you get past that "I am lazy and I don't want to push play" phase?

Consistency. Schedule your workouts. Use WOWY to plan your workouts and connect with others and if you need a little motivation, support is only a click away. I have to get up and get my workout done and out of the way first thing in the morning, or else it won't get done. I don't give myself room to make excuses. Commit to yourself, "I will do this."

I have to have music when I workout. I have a playlist of songs that get me amped up and motivate me to tap into my inner fire that keeps me going. For me, it's a lot easier to get lost in the music than it is to tick off the seconds and minutes until the workout is over.

I've said before, there are days when I wake up and don't feel like it. And I think of Beachbody Coaches and the amazing transformations in the infomercials. And I ask myself if they ever felt the same way. And I'm sure they did - but they got over it, they put in the work and they got the results. This whole dialogue takes about 20 seconds and then I am up and at 'em. I just think of how it feels to have completed the workout, to be dripping sweat, out of breath and tired, but to know I've already accomplished something that moves me closer to my fitness goal. The only way to get that feeling is to push Play and get it done!

Q: I hate to-do lists, but I know they are a good thing. How do you use them?

Well, Chalene Johnson is a big proponent of the to-do lists and so am I. Whether it's daily or weekly, figure out what you want to achieve and put it down. Then take great satisfaction from being able to cross items off as you complete them. I even go so far as to put my water consumption down.

It gives you a visual reminder of what you've already done and what's left to do so you can stay focused. There are great software programs that allow you do sync to-do lists and goals, healthy shopping lists, notes, motivation quotes, etc. on your computer and mobile devices so you always have them close at hand. (I use Evernote - Chalene turned me on to it and it's awesome.)

Q: How I do stay on track and follow through with my commitment?

Decide. Commit. Succeed. You have already decided to do it. You've committed to the half marathon, to P90X, to Shakeology. In order to succeed, you need to engage your friends and family and ask them for their support and encouragement. you need them to help keep you accountable so you can stay on track and see the success you want.

Ask your wife to join you on the journey to be your accountability partner. That might make it easier and will help you both model healthy behaviors and adopt new ways of thinking that you can pass on to your beautiful baby girl as she grows up.

Surround yourself with supporters, not naysayers and haters. If they think you'll fail and you won't follow through on it, let them think it, but don't buy into that negativity. Just think of how great it is going to feel when you cross the finish line of that half marathon and prove them all wrong. (The phrases "I told you so!" and "In your face!" spring to mind.)

You have 53,000 supporters already with your fellow Team Beachbody Coaches! Reach out to them, connect with them. Many of the ones that you find intimidating because of the amazing results they've achieved have been exactly where you are. Let them inspire and motivate you, not intimidate you.

This is your journey. It's a lifestyle, not a project, so like Tony says, "just do your best and forget the rest." It's not going to be easy, but it can be fun, fulfilling and an amazing opportunity for personal growth you never thought possible. I'm on my journey, so take it from one who knows.

Thanks to Doug for his email and to Carl and Team Beachbody Coaches for their support. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I'm happy to share what worked for me. I hope it helps and I look forward to celebrating your success, Doug! I'm down another 2.4lbs, for a total weight loss of 64lbs! Not mad at that!

Friday, March 04, 2011

***There is still time to get your submission in for our "Be A Coach" promo - but the deadline is coming up fast, so don't delay! Upload your submission video or mail it to us directly - and don't forget to include your signed release!***

We need YOU!

As a Team Beachbody Coach, youare the best at telling the story about this business.

It's not about us. It's not about celebrity trainers. It's REALLY about people like you who get the word out, who help people every day, and we want you to deliver that message!

You could be featured in our new "Be A Coach" promo video that will be seen everywhere, including on our product DVD's, on the web, on 3rd party tools, and maybe on a national TV spot!

All you have to do to be part of this casting call is submit your audition video by March 9th! All coaches will be reading the same script to camera, so the playing field is even. We will be editing together moments from multiple coaches, so many people have a shot at being included!

Click HERE to download the "Be A Coach Promo" script and easy-to-follow shooting guide. It walks you through it step-by-step.

Shoot your video, upload it to our server or send it in, along with your signed release and - BOOM! - you could be featured in this new promo video!

So download the script and guide, fire up your video camera, take care to light yourself well, SMILE, and send us your audition!

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Team Beachbody is about people helping people. That's why it was a no-brainer to work with Raincatcher to help people all over the globe by providing them with clean, safe drinking water.

Thanks to the growth of Team Beachbody, we have been able to donate over $280,000 to help Raincatcher.org install rainwater harvesting systems and water storage tanks in the regions where people desperately need it.

Now, Shakeology ingredient hunter Darin Olien is going to Africa with Raincatcher on an expedition sponsored by Team Beachbody to install systems in Kenya and Uganda. Check out the details of their triphere and see how you're helping save lives by building your Coach business.

Monday, February 28, 2011

It's March and that means Spring is coming - and so is the countdown to swimsuit season! You need some extra incentive to get bikini ready? How about some cold, hard cash from the WOWY Super Gym? What other gym gives you can give you greenbacks and prizes just for getting fit?!?

Simply sign into the WOWY Super Gym and track your workout! It can be any physical activity - it doesn't have to be a Beachbody fitness program - you just need to be a member!

You can build your personal profile, plan your healthy meals and even find workout buddies to give you the support and motivation you need to stay on track and get ready to strut your stuff on the beach in just a few short months!

Check out the most recent winners in WOWY:2/13 Amanda Scoby won $300

2/14 Janice Brickwood won $300

2/15 Shawn Powell won $1,000

2/16 Cory Lawrence won $300

2/17 Christine Bruske-Hitch won an Apple iPod Touch

2/18 Melanie Anderson won $300

2/19 Lisa Boydstun won an Apple iPod Touch

2/20 Christina Jaeger won $300

2/21 Richard Nagle won an Apple iPod Touch

2/22 Malone Tuten won $300

2/23 Shayne Tarrance won $1,000

2/24 Amy Friedman won $300

2/25 Joe Poliseno won an Apple iPod Touch

2/26 Scott Shoup won $300

2/27 Camille Cooper won $1,000

Plus, our Beachbody employees get fit with WOWY too! We're giving $50 each day to a randomly selected employee winner for working out with WOWY. Congrats to these Beachbody Employee WOWY Winners:

2/14 Elizabeth Brion

2/15 Carrie Dobro

2/16 Kevin Huang

2/17 Lisa Lyons

2/18 Ryan Amasaki

2/19 Lauren Gallgher

2/20 Brad Ramberg

2/21 Cesar Sagastume

2/22 Jeanette Corcuera

2/23 Dominique Tan

2/24 Lynette Perkins

2/25 Den Krischer

2/26 Alexis Beamon

2/27 Steve Winshel

2/28 Angela Dobbins

These people logged into the WOWY Super Gym to lose weight, get fit and find support - and they won big just for doing it! You could be next, but you've gotta be a member of Team Beachbody and log into WOWY to be in the game! You can't win if you don't sign in!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

What happened to this week? You factor in a holiday and an extra day off and you've got a very short week in which to get a lot done! It was short and sweet and kind of a blur.

It's Oscar weekend and people are talking about which stars have the best bodies and what their fitness regimen is and how they maintain it. A friend of mine said, "Well, if my job was to look good on camera and have a smokin' body, I'd have a team of trainers, too! I'd be in the gym 4 hours a day, just like all these celebs."

I chuckled, because I think that a lot of people share that same perception; that it takes an entire team to craft and maintain a fit, toned, camera-ready body. Not always true. It can be as simple as a DVD player, some discipline and the right tools. I know for a fact that many celebrities, athletes and people in the public eye use Beachbody programs instead of a team of trainers. They use them because they work.

But, in order to get the results, you have to put in the work. I tell myself this daily. As I said last week, it isn't easy, it's not always fun, but it will pay off. If you're disciplined, if you eat clean, if you commit to it, then you'll reap the benefits.

Here's an example: I went to see a friend's band play the other night, so I figured I'd eat at the club, since I didn't have a chance to go home first. We sat down and I looked at the menu and there was very little in the way of healthy options that would keep me on track. So I asked the waiter if I could get the burger plain & protein style and swap out the fries for a mixed green salad. He assured me that was no problem. When our food came out, I had a burger fully loaded on a huge brioche bun and a mountain of fries - but no salad. Uh-oh.

Now, it looked good, but I found myself disappointed first and foremost because there I was, trying to be diligent about eating clean and I was getting no help from the restaurant. It was very busy and our poor waiter was slammed, so instead of sending it back, I just performed a little quick surgery.

Away went the bun, all the mayo and sauce got scraped off, the lettuce got salvaged and - presto - my protein style burger! The fries went uneaten and, thanks to some quick thinking, I stayed on track. I realized after the fact that it didn't really occur to me to just eat it as it was, fries and all. Not too long ago, that would not have been the case, so I'll mark that in the "progress" column.

I've changed my thinking, my habits, my behaviors. I seek out healthier options, I cook at home more than I go out - and that's healthier for me and my wallet. I feel like I'm on my way. It's all part of the journey. I'm getting there, but as the saying goes, "we've got miles to go before we rest." I'm down another 2.2lbs, which brings my total weight loss to 61.6lbs! Wow.

Time for my workout and Shakeology!

Until next time,Hank

Footnote from Carl: That story of the burger showing up is herculean. I don't know if I would have had that kind of discipline. Wow. Hank, man, you are a rock! Well done, and here's to knocking down the next 50!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Team Beachbody is all about people helping people. Our comprehensive programs make it easy to have no excuses for getting fit. They take the guesswork out of eating clean and living lean and they are versatile enough to fit into any lifestyle...even if you're on active duty in the U.S. Military!

Check out this success story from Star Diamond Coach, Paul Cravey:My name is Paul Cravey. I am a Beachbody Star Diamond Coach and wanted to share my story with you...

I'm an Army Officer currently stationed on Oahu Hawaii. In January 2009, I did my first round of P90X. Then, after helping several more friends through the program and I became a Beachbody Coach in May of 2009 .

Though I dabbled, I didn't begin to actively Coach until September 2009, when I was deployed to Afghanistan. As commander of a Combat Advisor Team there, my time was very limited. But I made the time for my 3rd round of P90X with one of my troops who needed the support at 5:00AM everyday. Plus, I dedicated 30 minutes of my day to building my Beachbody business virtually, via Facebook, email and the message boards.

My upline Diamond Coach Mike Meads, as well as my upline Star Diamonds Mike & Tami French were extremely supportive of me throughout my 12-month deployment. I changed the lives of a number of people in Afghanistan - civilians, soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Canadian soldiers - with face to face workouts, plus I started of a Fit Club at FOB Walton near the volatile Kandahar City.(This Fit Club is still running today!)

Simultaneously, I built my business with coaches from my message board, Facebook and the Beachbody Customer Lead Program. I actually have more civilian coaches now than military ones.Within 12 months while deployed to Afghanistan, I went from zero active coaches to Diamond rank. Upon my return home to Oahu, I was one star diamond within 60 days and Team Inertia continues to grow as part of Team Hawaii.

I have two real keys to success:

It's not about me. I paid this fitness gift forward to anyone who wanted it. I enabled their success. Regardless of who they were and where they were located, I made their physical fitness and well being my priority. The signup of Coaches came from those who appreciated that gift and wanted to pay it forward themselves. I signed a few coaches who were about the money, but they're never as successful as those who follow the "fitness first" model. I do believe in Karma and if you make this business about your clients and not yourself, it will pay you back in spades.Use all the knives in the drawer. I didn't have the option to interact and share the Beachbody opportunities face-to-face with people in everyday life. I was often gone for a week or two at a time with no computer contact. My upline supported me and I used every minute of social media I had to the max. I made videos of us doing P90X & Insanity and posted them to You Tube, Facebook and our Message Board. I ran a very active message board and I streamed my fitness experience.

Once I returned to Oahu it seemed easy compared to that. Now I've added monthly booths at fitness events, fit clubs and our own Team call with a 90 Days to Diamond Group just around the corner.

I went Diamond in less than 12 months while in Afghanistan on a combat tour. Then Star Diamond in 60 days. There are no excuses! i went from zero dollars per month to over $1,000 per month on average. Though I love leading soldiers and flying attack helicopters with all my heart, Beachbody will likely one day replace this career.

The potential is amazing. Even if it doesn't, it will by me a house on the North Shore of Oahu. This I know. In the meantime, I will use Beachbody to bring my troops to a higher level of fitness and durability over the next couple of years.